Battle For Moonlight
by drwhofangirl591
Summary: The Doctor and Donna get stranded on Earth in the 71st century during the world's largest civil war.
1. Prologue

**A/N: This is my first attempt at an adventure story so bear with me. Just a fore warning it might take me a while to post again, so I have tried to write as much as possible to begin with. Sorry if the plot seems confusing.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own them you know that! I'm just borrowing them from the BBC. **

Prologue

The woods were unnaturally dark as a troop of young soldiers stumbled their way through the underbrush. Private Edwin Ashdyn and his best friend Private Riley Hemmings, the youngest two of the company, brought up the rear. They walked side by side jumping at every shadow that moved in the distance as they weaved between large trees and thorny bushes.

"Remind me again why we are here Edwin." Private Hemmings asked in a hushed tone as he maneuvered himself over a fallen tree.

"For the adventure, remember?" Private Ashdyn flashed him a wide grin. Edwin Ashdyn was natural born explorer, so when the opportunity to go on a scouting mission arose, he was one of the first to volunteer.

A sharp crack rang through the cold air not far from the soldiers' left flank causing both men to freeze, and ready their guns to fire at whatever might emerge from the darkness. They waited for several seconds but the noise didn't come again. Ashdyn and Hemmings glanced at each other and chuckled nervously. Private Ashdyn lowered his weapon and signaled that they should move on.

"You call this adventure, I call this suicide." Hemmings finally retorted.

"You knew what you were getting into when you volunteered to come on this mission with me." Ashdyn replied shortly.

Hemmings did not respond to his comment and instead changed the subject. "It's right eerie with no Moon. It's no wonder the Alunae are so nasty."

Ashdyn nodded in agreement, "Yeah, a century without ever seeing the Moon, it's a good bet that's why the lot of 'em have turned savage."

The suffocating blackness of the forest made the trek equally as dangerous as their enemy. They were not allowed to use torches unless absolutely necessary so not draw attention to themselves. All they had was their night vision goggles which only gave the men a short range of vision and made their peripherals practically nonexistent. Neither of the two men had noticed that they had strayed away from the rest of the company. Or that they were being watched.

Another loud snap reverberated through the silence, this time to the men's right followed by the high pitched whine of weapons firing some five meters away. The next sound they heard was that of their comrades' strangled cries for help. Without hesitating Ashdyn and Hemmings tore off in the direction of the screams and gun fire.

As they reached the edge of a clearing they saw the group of soldiers being attacked by another group. The attacking company was swift and used the darkness to their advantage. The soldiers wearing night vision goggles were having problems keeping their sights on them. As they spent time searching and using up their ammunition an enemy soldier would come from behind and strike.

Ashdyn drew his gun and prepared to run into the battle. Hemmings stood watching, terror etched on his young face. "It's the Alunae" he whispered as he fumbled for his weapon.

"Don't just stand there, Riley! We have to help them!" Without another word Ashdyn rushed towards an Alunae soldier that was crouched over a fallen comrade in the middle of the clearing. He was half way there when pained yelp came from where he had just left. Ashdyn halted, fired two rounds into the back of the Alunae, and then about faced to see Riley being dragged off by two figures.

"No!" He ran after them but his gear weighed him down and the three people disappeared into the blackness. "Riley! Riley!" One final faint scream answered his calls. Ashdyn dropped his pack and began to race in the direction of the scream but was caught by the arm. Captain Roger Striker stood behind the Private holding him back. His face streaked with sweat and dirt.

"Let him go Private. No use in following them. We need to get the injured soldiers to safety." The Captain ordered as he surveyed the area.

"Sir they took him, they took Private Hemmings!" Ashdyn tried to wriggle out of his grip but was quickly losing his strength to fight back.

"I know Private but there are men over there that need medical attention!" Striker said forcefully. "We will send out a search party later." This time his voice contained a hint of sympathy.

Striker released the Private's arm and headed back to the clearing. Ashdyn stood scanning the line of trees for any sign of his best friend before turning and following the Captain.

**A/N: Like the sound of it so far? Let me know by reviewing!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own them **

Chapter 1

The sound of grinding engines shattered the silence as a large blue box materialized in the dark woods with its usual fanfare. Seconds later the tall skinny figure that was the Doctor emerged from the TARDIS. Light flooded through the open doorway causing the black forest to become illuminated in front of him.

"Ah!" He signed as he took in a lung full of the frigid night air. "Fresh air!" The Doctor then wandered a few feet away to inspect some interesting looking foliage.

Donna stepped out of the ship behind him and shut the door. Once the light was gone a heavy gloom rushed at them and caused them to feel as if a weight had been dropped on their chests.

"Blimey it's dark! And freezing! How is it that your ship always seems to drop us somewhere cold whenever you set the controls to random?" complained Donna as she rubbed her arms trying to warm herself. She tried to focus on the Time Lord but the darkness prohibited her from doing so. All that Donna could make out was a slim shadowy figure standing by what might have been a fallen branch or maybe a bush.

"One time! And it's not like you can't go back in and grab a coat." The Doctor shot back at her.

Donna sighed, defeated and reentered the police box to do just that. Once again light flooded out into the forest. The Doctor reexamined the branches while they were illuminated and noted that they were withered and dried.

"So, have you figured out where we are yet Spaceman?" Donna asked as she exited the ship now wearing a thick coat similar to the one she had worn on the Ood Sphere and closed the door. Darkness again fell on them.

"It appears," The Doctor squinted waiting for his eyes to adjust to the sudden change in lighting.

"Well appeared to be Earth. 71st maybe 72nd century. Must be close to winter." He answered in his usual intellectual tone as he stumbled back over to his companion.

"Great." Donna replied flatly. "Have you got a torch somewhere in those enormous pockets of yours?"

"Multi-dimensional" he corrected before beginning his search. She heard the ruffle of fabric as he rummaged through one of his overcoat's pockets. "That's not it…No…Ah! That's where you went!" Donna could have sworn that she heard the squeaking of a rubber duck but decided not to ask.

"A simple yes or no would suffice Doctor." Donna remarked. He could tell by the sound of her voice that she was glaring at him, arms crossed.

"Hold on. Here we are!" He produced the cylindrical object and holding it under his chin, slid the switch to the "on" position. Out of the gloom sprang the Doctor's pale face wearing a devious smile. Donna yelped in fright.

"Must you be so childish!" she scolded before snatching the light from him. He answered in the form of a grin.

"Why is it so dark? The Moon's not even any moonlight." Donna swung the torch around examining their current position. "It doesn't seem natural, ya know."

"Perhaps it's a New Moon." The Doctor offered as he took the torch back and headed deeper into the woods.

"So where _on_ Earth are we?" Donna followed behind attempting to avoid branches and thorns.

"I dunno. Let's find out!"

The pair had been wandering for several minutes. The journey was slow as they had to stop and repeatedly maneuver themselves over logs or boulders. At the moment they were stopped because loose threads from Donna's back pocket was snagged on a branch.

"Donna, if you just hold still I can get it!" Is what the Doctor said, but all Donna heard was "Monna, mif moo must mold mill mi man met mit!" because the torch was in his mouth.

"What?" Donna practically shouted as she attempted to twist around and see what the problem was. "Give me that thing!" She reached over and pulled the torch from his mouth then proceeded to wipe the end off on _his_ sleeve. "…Honestly…"

"You'd better not be ogling my arse, Spacemen!" In the dark the Doctor smiled to himself, what Donna didn't know couldn't hurt her.

"If you want me to get you untangled then I need to see. Could I have some light over here please?" A bright light landed on his face, nearly blinding him.

"Lower Donna."He said flatly. The light didn't move.

"Doctor, we have company…" Donna suddenly whispered. The Doctor straightened from his crouching position and saw that the beam from Donna's torch was illuminating a small group of soldiers.

"Oh. Hello! I'm the Doctor and this is Donna." He noticed that they had their guns poised and ready to fire. Raising his hands in surrender he added quickly, "And we come in peace."

"Major Jamison will have to decide that." A man who looked no older than the Doctor stepped forward. "You will return to base camp with us."

"And who are you then?" Donna questioned. With little sense of formality, he answered.

"Captain Roger Striker."

"Yes, well I think I would like to meet this… Major Jamison was it? Can I just ask? What's a troop of soldiers looking for in the middle of a forest and at night no less?" The Doctor approached the Captain.

"Nothing that concerns you." Striker answered with a steely look.

"We need to keep moving. Richards, Clarkson guard them. Lights out men." The Doctor watched with curious fascination as the men put away their torches and placed helmets with binoculars on their heads. The two assigned guards roughly grabbed the Doctor and Donna. In the process Donna was freed from the branch but at a cost.

"Oi Mate! You put a hole in my jeans! Do you know what I paid for these?" Donna shouted at her guard. The Doctor leaned over to his guard, "Good thing you choose me. He's in for it now. Your friend will be lucky if he gets off without being slapped." Richards regarded him with a quick side glance but remained silent.

"Silence back there or I'll be forced to silence you!" Jenkins shouted from the front of the line. Donna huffed and readied another tirade for the Captain. The Doctor, fearing that Stricker was the kind of man to carry out his threats placed his hand over Donna's mouth before she got a word out.

"Donna! Let's just do as he says until we get to the camp, hmm." She nodded unhappily and he removed his hand. "Have you noticed anything strange?" He whispered as they marched along in the dark.

"Like the fact that they have torches but aren't using them?" Donna whispered back.

"Mm hm. They are using night vision equipment. So that must mean that they don't want someone or something to see them." The Doctor didn't see it but for a moment fear flashed across Donna's face.

"Well why don't we get a pair? I can't see a thing!"As if to prove her point Donna staggered over an unearthed root. Luckily the Doctor was right beside her and caught her arm.

"It's not the middle of the night." The unexpected voice startled the Time Lord and his companion.

"What do you mean it's not the middle of the night?" Donna blurted.

"It's one in the afternoon ma'm." Richards answered.

**TCB**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Not mine. They are the BBC's property**

Chapter 2

"What?" The Doctor looked at Richards. "But it can't be…" His voice trailed off as his mind wrestled with the new information.

"Doctor, what's wrong?" Donna implored. The Doctor was about to answer when from out of the darkness lights began springing out of nowhere, drawing his attention away from the matter.

The base camp's makeshift gates loomed in front of the group, large flood lights came on to illuminate the path. Four soldiers stood atop two opposing watch towers. Captain Striker waved at the closest guard who then signaled the others to open the gates. Swiftly the company along with the Doctor and Donna were ushered inside.

Once inside the camp the floodlights were switched off and dim green lights switched on. The lights ran along the ground lighting small footpaths that led to various areas of the camp. The soldiers removed their night vision goggles and retreated to their tents. The Doctor and Donna were left to stand in the middle of the main yard alone. Donna rubbed at her eyes trying to get them to adjust to the soft light.

"Well at least I can see again."Sighed, her nerves were just now starting to settle. "So what was all that nonsense about it being the middle of the afternoon?"

"I don't think it nonsense Donna. I have a theory but I want to find out more from this Major Jamison." The Doctor said, scratching his chin.

Captain Striker approached them from across the yard, he looked agitated. "This way."

The two were led to the far side of the camp were several larger canvas tents were standing. Striker took them to one of the tents in the middle of the cluster. From the outside it looked completely dark.

"Maybe he's gone to bed." Donna whispered sarcastically. The Doctor smiled, "Then he's going to get an early wake up call."

Striker entered first. As he lifted back the flap a warm light washed over the trio. Inside, the tent was brightly lit by several self-powered lamps. The place was sparse; a cot, a couple of chairs, and a small table occupied one side while a large aluminum desk sat on the other. Behind the desk sat Major Damien Jamison.

"How 's that work then?" Donna gestured to the tent. The Doctor looked around him and inspected the ceiling as he answered.

"Advanced camouflage technology. Kind of like the TARDIS's perception filter, only instead of filtering people's vision, it filters light. Isn't brilliant?" He was pleased to see Donna's impressed expression. The Doctor loved seeing the look on his companion's faces whenever he showed them something interesting.

"Did you find any survivors Captain?" The Major questioned without looking away from his holo-map. He was hardly older than Striker but his stature was much greater. His voice though, was rough and his features just as hard.

"No sir. There were no traces of them. But we did find these two wandering about." Striker motioned to his two prisoners who were trying to look inconspicuous. Jamison tore his eyes away from the map to examine the new comers. He gave them a scathing glance before asking, "Who are? Spies? Working for the Alunae I suppose?"

Out of habit the Doctor dipped his hand into his inside jacket pocket to pull out the psychic paper. Striker, believing that he was reaching for a weapon pulled out a small sidearm and trained it in the Doctor.

"No!" Donna screamed. She attempted to shield the Doctor but he held out one arm to hold her back and the other up in surrender.

"No no no! Hold on! I'm just reaching for some ID." The Major nodded and Striker holstered his gun.

The Time Lord held up the leather wallet and showed it to both men. "Dr. John Smith and Ms. Donna Noble of the Intergalactic Botany Society." Jamison read aloud.

"Yep!" The Doctor answered, popping the `p'. "That's us!" He snapped the wallet closed and placed it back in his pocket with one smooth motion while wearing his most charming smile.

"If you two are scientists what were you doing looking for plants in the dark? Kinda hard to see them don't you think?" Jamison asked sarcastically, his voice containing more than a hint of distrust. He stood from behind the desk and walked around the front of it to getting a better look at the two strangers.

"Well, we had a flash light. But I think the more important question is what were _your_ men looking for?" Stepping closer to the Major, the Doctor craned his neck to look him directly in the eye. "You asked about survivors. So that wasn't just a company out on a training exercise or routine surveillance was it?"

Donna watched the Doctor work his magic as he endeavored to weed out information. This was always her favorite part of their adventures.

"No. It was a search party." Jamison replied. He stepped closer to the Doctor trying to intimidate the Time Lord.

"Ah! So who …or what was doing the attacking then?" The Doctor refused to back down to Jamison's disappointment.

Suddenly an incredulous snort came from beside Jamison."Where have you been? You know damn well who we are fighting! Sir they must be spies!" Captain Striker interrupted.

"Oh well, we haven't been watching the news." The Doctor bluffed. He looked to Donna for help.

"Yeah, we don't get out much." Was all she had to add. Sadly their bluff was called.

The Major, who had been on the verge of giving up the information, now withdrew and his suspicion quickly returned.

"Captain, throw them in the brig and post a guard. I don't want them escaping. We'll take them back to headquarters with us this evening." Jamison ordered. Striker gladly obliged and pulled out a pair of binders as he approached the two.

"No! Wait!" Donna and the Doctor protested simultaneously. "You don't understand! We are not from here! We are travelers." But their pleas went unnoticed. Striker clapped one side of the binders on the Doctor's wrist and the other on Donna's.

**Don't forget to review!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own them!**

Chapter 3

The cell door closed with a resounding clang as Captain Striker turned to a much younger solider behind him and gave the order to watch the prisoners. The young man nodded and took his place in front of the door.

The "brig" was no more than a cage inside of an old bunker. Other than the main door there was only a small window on one wall of the cell. A single row of lights ran across the ceiling, lighting the whole place.

"Well isn't this just wizard! Another war zone. Let's set the controls to random you said. I've set perimeter s to keep us away from anywhere too dangerous you said. This is all your fault Doctor. How do you always manage to get us arrested?" Donna grumbled as she took a seat on the floor.

"At least they didn't assume we were a couple." The Doctor pointed out. To which Donna's response was an icy glare.

"Sorry. I know. Not helping." He waved his hands about as he paced back and forth.

"What are we going to do about the TARDIS?" Donna asked, worry creeping into her voice.

"Well we can either try to convince them to let us go, which I doubt they'll do, or we somehow get them to being it here." The look on Donna's face told him that his ideas were rubbish.

"What did that soldier mean when he told us it was the middle of the afternoon? I mean it's darker than midnight out there."

"Yeah, that is strange." The Doctor stopped pacing. "It's not an eclipse. Maybe something happen to the sun?" He stared out the tiny window above Donna's head. Suddenly he turned to regard the man outside the cell.

The Doctor rushed over to the door and leaned against it. The soldier's back was to them. Reaching his hand out through the bars the Doctor tapped him on the shoulder. Startled, the young man swiveled on around and aimed his blaster at the prisoner.

"What you doin'?" His voice was strained and sounded shrill; he seemed rather jumpy, like someone who hasn't slept in a few days.

"Hello! Sorry, but what's all this fighting about and why is it so dark?" The Time Lord eyed the young man's gun. "You can put that away. I won't hurt you, I just want answers."

"You are a prisoner and I'm not supposed to talk to you." Was his answer.

The Doctor tried to look as innocent as possible. "If I were you I wouldn't stand so close to the cell door with my back turned. A real prisoner could easily have grabbed you through the bar, taken your weapon, and escaped."

The soldier was shell-shocked by this revelation. "S-sorry. I've never had to guard prisoners before."

"No need to apologize! I'm the Doctor and this Donna." Hearing herself mentioned she stood and came over to the door as well. "Hi."

"So what's your name then?" The Doctor tried his charming grin once again.

"Private Edwin Ashdyn sir" The Doctor noticed that Ashdyn was slowly lowering his gun. Good, maybe we will finally get some answers.

"We're not from around here so could you tell us what all the fuss is about?" Ashdyn stared at Donna in disbelief.

"How could you not know? It's only been going on for a hundred years!" The Doctor and Donna shared a look of concern before the Doctor answered. "Well, uh, we live off world…"

"Even off worlders know about the war with the Alunae."

"Well we don't so if you could just fill us in…" The Doctor pleaded. The Private nodded.

"It all started a little over a century ago. For some reason the Earth's rotation just stopped. Half the world was plunged into complete darkness, that's the side we're on now. The other half, the Luminos side, sees the sun and the moon. They say at first things weren't so bad. People started to migrate to the Luminos side of the planet but eventually it became overcrowded, floods and food shortages occurred, the government had to start sending people back to the Alunae side. That's when the fighting started. The Alunae became jealous of the Luminos for having possession of the Moon and they started attacking us. It hasn't stopped since. This base camp is just one of thousands along the border. Stopping the Alunae from invading."

Neither the Doctor or Donna could believe what Ashdyn had told them.

"That search party that found you, they were out looking for survivors from the latest attack. Me and my best mate Riley, Riley Hemmings, we were on the scouting mission that was attacked. I got away but they… they captured Riley…" Ashdyn was on the verge of tears as he relieved that terrifying night in his head.

Tears began streaming down Donna's cheeks. She sympathized with the young man. The thought of watching her own best friend be dragged off and not knowing if he was dead or alive would scare her too.

"I'm sorry." Was all the Doctor could think to say.

"Doctor," Donna finally managed, "How could the Earth just stop rotating?" Donna asked as she tried to wrap her head around the concept.

"I'm not sure Donna."

Abruptly another thought struck him. "Donna, the TARDIS… We can't let the Alunae get it!" The Doctor was about to tell Ashdyn to unlock the door the main door to the brig swung open to reveal Captain Striker.

He marched in and threw a menacing glare at Ashdyn who had snapped to attention. Coming to a halt before the Doctor and Donna he unlocked the cell. "We are moving out and Major Jamison wants you two on the first transport."

"Um if it's alright with the Major we'd rather take our own ship. So if we could just go and get it we'll meet you there." The Doctor began to walk forward but Striker's outstretched hand slammed into his chest stopping the Time Lord in his tracks.

"Are you saying that you have a ship out there?" He sneered at them.

"Yes. And it is imperative that we get it. It has all of our…research!... in it; which will prove to you that we are most definitely not spies."

Striker mulled over this new information and decided that he would inform Major Jamison later. For now he would follow his orders. "Let's go. I will see what I can do about your ship later."

Donna glared at the Captain, "Later? You just said that you were shipping out! Why not get it now while you're still here?"

"I will inform Major Jamison and he will have to decide if it's important enough to retrieve." With that he once again handcuffed Donna to the Doctor and began leading them out of the cell.

The Captain then turned to Edwin, "Private you're relieved from duty. Go and help load the transports." Ashdyn looked uncertain of what to do. He didn't believe that these two strangers were spies but he couldn't disobey a direct order.

"Go on Edwin. They'll need all the help they can get. We'll be alright." The Doctor gave him a reassuring smile. Ashdyn spared a final look over his shoulder at the odd couple in the brig. He couldn't shake the feeling that something big was going to happen and it somehow involved these two outsiders.

**Stay tuned and review!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em**

Chapter 4

As the Doctor and Donna were being escorted to their transport by Captain Striker, Major Jamison happened to be walking by. The Doctor spied him through the darkness and began waving madly with his free hand.

"Speak of the devil!" He whispered to Donna then shouted, "Evening Major! Lovely day for a stroll innit?" The Major recognized the Doctor and scowled as he marched over to them.

"Why aren't these two on the transport yet Captain?" He roared. Before Striker could answer though, the Doctor stepped in.

"Uh sorry, that's my fault, I'm afraid." The Doctor confessed, scratching the back of his head. "I was telling the Captain here about our ship that's still out there in the forest. I wanted to know if it could be recovered."

"Why wasn't I informed of this?" It was hard to tell who the Major's question was addressed to. Captain Striker and the Doctor looked at each other unsure of how to explain themselves. Jamison sighed, "I will send out a team to retrieve it after the transports are loaded."

The Doctor shook his head in disagreement. "It might be difficult to find. I should probably go with them."

"Huh! You don't think I would just let you escape that easily do you? You will tell me where your ship is and then you will go to headquarters. Is that understood?" Jamison had grabbed a hold of the Doctor's jacket and pulled him forward bring so that they were nose to nose. By this time Donna was fuming and decided to interject.

"Listen buddy, I know you think you're all high and mighty but if you don't unhand him I'll slap you into the next camp!" Jamison looked over to Donna and chuckled at her bold gesture.

"Your girlfriend has spirit Doctor." He roughly shoved the Time Lord away.

"We're not together." "She's not my girlfriend." They protested simultaneously. Both Striker and Jamison found this hilarious and laughed at the pair's obstinate denying.

Donna stood gaping at the two officers, affronted by their laughter. Of all the times that they had been called a couple they had never been laughed at while correcting people! They normally just accepted their denial and moved on. Meanwhile the Doctor tried again to convince them to get the TARDIS.

"You don't understand! We need our ship." He spoke through gritted teeth, his anger raising.

"Give me one good reason why we should do what you ask?" Jamison challenged.

"Because you are in the middle of the largest civil war the world has seen and if your enemies get a hold of my ship, they could do more damage than you can imagine!" The Doctor countered, frustrated by their incompetence.

The Major stared at the skinny stranger in front of him trying to determine if he was telling the truth. He conceded that he was. Stopping a soldier walking by he ordered him to round up a search party and go look for the TARDIS after getting a description from the Doctor.

"Now, Captain put them on a transport that is ready and get them to headquarters. Doctor, your ship will be taken there as soon as it's found. I will contact the General and notify him of the news." Jamison dismissed Striker and marched away.

The transport was a medium sized ship that was overstuffed with equipment and soldiers. The air inside was stale and smelt of sweat and petrol. Crammed in among the ranks were the Doctor and Donna. They stood silently side by side still handcuffed to each other, guards on every side of them. They had not spoken since begin shoved into the ship by Striker.

Donna shifted her weight from one foot to the other trying to find a more comfortable position to stand in. The Doctor noticed her movement and bent his head down to whisper to her.

"You alright?" His voice was soft and filled with concern.

"Fine, Spaceman, just trying to get comfortable. " She fidgeted again and this time the Doctor shuffled so that now part of him was behind her.

"Here lean back against me, it will take some of the strain off your legs." Donna eyed him cautiously before complying. Hesitantly, she rested against his side and found that for such a scrawny bloke he was surprisingly comfy.

"I wish they would've at least taken these cuffs off. Why don't you use your…" Donna mimed using the sonic screwdriver. "…And get us out of these things."

"Because, we are surrounded by soldiers and that would look suspicious. They would confiscate it for sure. " He paused for a moment. "What? You don't like being chained to me? I know loads of people who wouldn't mind being in your shoes right now!" The Doctor looked down at her with the cheekiest of grins.

"I don't think they would, these shoes are killing me." Donna smiled smugly back at him. He gave her a look that said you know what I mean.

"I would have though you enjoyed being cuffed to a handsome man, Donna!"

"Oh I do! And maybe next time I'll get stuck with him." This time the Doctor looked truly hurt, which struck Donna as absolutely hilarious for some reason. Stifling her laughter, she twisted around and used her free hand to pat his cheek.

"Aw did I bruise your ego, Timeboy? I was kidding! You're not all that bad looking. But if you do see a gorgeous soldier walk by don't keep it to yourself." The Doctor's face went from hurt to glowing to shocked in a span of two seconds before he began babbling incomprehensively. Thoroughly satisfied with the Doctor's reaction, Donna settled against him once again.

The Doctor ceased talking, but his silence only lasted a second, "They thought I was your boyfriend." Donna instantly jumped as far away from him as she could, which unfortunately was only a few inches.

"People are always mistaking us for a couple, so what's the problem? So it's the first time they didn't assume we were married, isn't that a good thing?" Donna practically shouted as her temper flared. She stared at the Doctor wondering what he would say next.

Pleading and praying he wouldn't be slapped in front of all these soldiers, "No it's not a problem! I just thought it was strange that they didn't believe us when we told them we weren't together, that's all."

After hearing this Donna relaxed and the gap between them started to shrink. "Yeah, it was weird. I wonder why? " They stood inches away from each other waiting for the other to say something.

"Just kiss her already mate!" Startled by the sudden exclamation the Doctor and Donna leapt apart and glanced around them. They had been so absorbed in their conversation they had failed to notice all of the soldiers around them were staring, yelling - encouraging them to kiss.

The Doctor tore his eyes away from the mass of men and turned his attention back to Donna, to his surprise her eyes were locked on him as well. The Doctor blocked out the noise of the ship to concentrate solely on the gorgeous red head in front of him. At this moment nothing else mattered except him and Donna as he leaned down to capture her soft lips.

**TBC..**


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Not mine! **

Chapter 5

"All passengers prepare for landing. I repeat all passengers prepare for landing."

The voice boomed over the intercom sending the soldiers scrambling for something to hold on to. In the midst of the chaos the Doctor and Donna were shoved aside before their lips could meet. Instead they crashed against the haul of the ship. The Doctor snapped back to reality just in time to pull Donna into his arms and grab the handhold above him.

The transport descended with an alarming amount of shuttering as it dropped from the bright sky. With one final bone shattering jolt the ship touched down.

"And here I thought you were a bad pilot!" Donna quickly released herself from the Doctor's grasp as the ship came to a halt at the end of the runway.

"I'll take that as a compliment." He pulled himself upright, peering through the porthole as he did. "Donna, look."

"They weren't kidding. It really is daylight over here." Donna looked out at the sunlight area in amazement.

"Um is that the Moon next to the Sun?" Donna was pointing to the sky as they walked down the exit ramp. The Doctor held a hand over his eyes to block some of the glare. "Yep! Ashdyn said that they see both at once here." He couldn't hide his enthusiasm as they stood waiting for Captain Striker.

Donna observed the air base. It resembled that of other military bases she had seen in movies and tv shows but inside of airplanes and jets, spaceships and rockets stood ready for deployment.

The Doctor and Donna were approached from behind by Striker and ushered into a military vehicle. He explained that it would take them to General's office. Once inside the vehicle Donna leaned over to the Doctor to whisper in his ear. "Could the Alunae really use your ship as a weapon?"

"It's possible, but not likely. First off they would need to figure out how to get inside without a key. Even if that happened I doubt they would know what to do once inside. I just told Jamison that so the he would feel more inclined to retrieve her for me." The Doctor grinned at his own cleverness but Donna just rolled her eyes.

"So what do we do til then?"

"I thought I might try using my connections with UNIT to get us out of this mess. Until then we just cooperate."

General Torvald Ivor sat behind his desk looking over the current reports from the fronts. The war wasn't going quite as well as he hoped. The Alunae have been pushing their lines further and further back. Their forces were becoming increasingly stronger each week. He was in the middle of another casualty report when a knock on the door interrupted.

"Enter." The door opened and in stepped Captain Striker followed by a tall man wearing a blue suite and messy brown hair; and a ginger haired woman.

Striker saluted the General then began his explanation, "Sir, these are the two spies that Major Jamison informed you of. We picked them up during a scouting mission, wandering around the forest. The man claims that they work for the Intergalactic Botany Society." Striker threw the two a disbelieving glance.

General Ivor looked between the two strangers, Donna felt like she was being scanned so she returned the glare. "Leave us Captain."

"But sir, they could be dangerous—" Ivor raised his hand and stopped Striker midsentence. "Dismissed, Captain!" Saluting the General, Striker turned on his heel and marched from the office. After the door was shut, the General went back to his reports.

Donna and the Doctor stood together across the desk and watched him. Torvald looked much older that Major Jamison but still had the same roughness about him. Unlike the officers at the camp who wore fatigues, the General was in a dark blue dress uniform with several colorful pins decorating the left side of his chest. Without taking his eyes from the reports the General finally spoke.

"One of you wants to tell me who you really are?"

"How do you know we aren't scientists?" The Doctor circumvented his question. Stepping forward the Doctor leaned over the desk sneaking a peak at the papers that lay in front of the General.

"Because, all the scientists are on the Alunae side and those that are not are employed by me and have military records and IDs!" Ivor launched out of his chair and stood behind his desk.

"Ah! I see. Well in that case, no we're not scientists. Well not entirely, anyways. Oh! we haven't been properly introduced! I'm the Doctor and this is Donna by the way." He held out his hand but the General didn't take it.

"Answer my question, _Doctor_."

"Alright, don't get your uniform in a bunch, just trying to be polite that's all, Sheesh. If you really want to know, the smart thing would be to cross reference my name in the UNIT database. That should answer all of your questions, well when I say all, I mean a few. Ok actually only a couple but..."

Donna noticed that the General seemed to bristle at the mention of UNIT. She stepped toward the Doctor and tapped his shoulder to stop his rambling.

"UNIT? You work for the Unified Intelligence Taskforce? "

"That's the one! Is that a problem?" The Doctor had seen Ivor's reaction and was fishing for information.

"You can't work for UNIT, they have been disbanded for years. All of their agents have either been killed or imprisoned by the Alunae. No one was left. We checked." Quickly the General flipped a switch on his desk com and ordered his assistant to pull all files from the UNIT records on the Doctor.

The Doctor sat on the corner of the desk, him hawing. He was trying to react to this news, considering how UNIT always wanted his help but never listened to him. Donna had taken a seat in one of the chairs next to the desk. She watched the Doctor, waiting for his response. When all he did was shrug, she leaned over and slapped his forearm.

"Oi! I know you don't particularly like UNIT, but remember that Martha works for them and is trying to change how they go about dealing with aliens!"

"Sorry, you're right. That's terrible. What would prompt the Alunae to attack UNIT like that?"

"Your friend there seems to know how to handle you." General Ivor commented, ignoring the Doctor's question. "Is there something going on between the two of you?"

Before either could answer a young man entered the room with what Donna decided must be their equivalent of a microdisk flashdrive. He handed it to the General and left. General Ivor placed the tiny device into his computer. In the middle of the desk a hologram appeared showing all of UNITS records on the Time Lord.

**TBC**


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Theses characters are not mine but I wish they were.**

Chapter 6

Donna sat in General's Ivor's office for what felt like eternity. Occasionally she would walk around and examine the few awards on the walls or peer out the window, but that got old fast. The Doctor and Ivor had been going through UNIT's records and arguing about this and that; whether the Doctor was really the same Doctor on file or an imposter. He tried to explain the regeneration process but the General refused to believe it. The Time Lord attempted to prove his identity by giving details about several missions that only the files would contain, but Ivor accused him of breaking into the records room. So much for using your connections Doctor, Donna thought.

"The Doctor's file says that he travels in a TARDIS disguised as a Police Box. If you're the Doctor, where is your TARDIS?"

"I've already told you! It's in the forest where your men picked us up. Major Jamison said that he would send a troop to find her and bring her here!" The Doctor's temper flared as he recounted his and Donna's steps for the fifth time.

Donna listened to the men argue from across the room. She stood in front of the large window that overlooked the grounds. From the corner of her eye she glimpsed a familiar shape. Turning just in time to see the TARDIS being shuttled into a hangar Donna suddenly broke her silence, "Doctor… Doctor! Look!"

The Time Lord ceased his arguing and ran to see what Donna was so excited about. "They found it! The TARDIS! They just took it into that hangar there." The Doctor's face lit up immediately. He turned on the spot to face the General, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"What do you say to that, General?"

"Congratulations Doctor." The Time Lord beamed but Donna thought something seemed wrong. Why was he congratulating them? She nudged the Doctor's arm. Glancing down at her, expecting to find her smiling, found only concern in her sapphire eyes. Suddenly the joy drained from his face and all his attention focused on his ginger companion.

"Donna, what's wrong?"

"Don't you think it's strange that he's congratulating you? Doctor, he's obviously up to something." Together they glanced over at the General. He was talking to someone on his com in hushed tones, his back to the pair. Before the Time Lord could catch any of the conversation the General switched off the com.

"Congratulations for what exactly General?" The Doctor began moving in front of Donna, shielding her from some unseen danger. His voice dripping with suspicion.

"For becoming the newest member of the Luminos army. You and your marvelous machine will help us wipe the Alunae from the face of this planet and end this accursed war once and for all." The General's tone grew more menacing with each word.

The Doctor continued to glare at the General as he ushered Donna back towards the door. "So you were just keeping us here until they found the TARDIS?" Donna inquired; she didn't bother to hide her contempt.

"I had to be sure that this man was the real deal. When Major Jamison informed me that he had found a stranger that called himself the Doctor I didn't want to get my hopes up. I had to be sure it was the same man from the records. Now, I have all the proof I need to confirm your identity."

"There's just one problem with your plan," The Doctor's voice was low and dangerous, "I refuse and without me the TARDIS is of no use to you."

The General did not appear to be surprised by his answer. "Yes, I thought you might not come willingly. So I planned ahead." The Doctor and Donna had managed to get to the door. Stealthily it slid open to reveal six armed guards. Donna gasped as she was snatched from the Time Lord's grasp and held at gunpoint, "Doctor!"

"No! Donna!" He made to reach for her but was shoved away by the guards. "Let her go!" The Doctor growled. General Ivor just stood there with a smug expression on his old face.

"If you agree to help me destroy the Alunae, no harm will come to the lady."

"Doctor, don't do it!" There was a hint of fear in her voice but Donna tried not to show it as she shot a side glance at the weapon that was mere inchess from her temple.

Looking between Donna and the General, the Doctor decided to try negotiating. He took in a slow breath to calm himself. "I know why you're doing this. The war isn't going so well and you think that this," He made a wide arc with his arms to indicate the situation."Is the solution. You don't need to threaten me. I want this war over just as much as you do. There has to be a more peaceful way to resolve this than genocide. Just let Donna go and I promise to help you."

General Ivor took a minute to process to Doctor's reply. "Alright Doctor. Let's see what kind of plan you can come up with. But for now your…" He cast a suspicious eye over Donna. "_Friend_… will remain in a holding cell as extra insurance that you don't try to escape."

Donna saw the distress in the Doctor's eyes as the General's words sank in. She attempted to put on a brave face for him but couldn't quite muster all of the confidence she wanted. Donna barely registered the General's command to take her away as fear washed over her. Her last image of the Doctor was of him standing in the middle of the General's office watching her be hauled away with anger and sadness radiating from his dark eyes.

The Doctor suddenly thought of Private Edwin Ashdyn from the camp and how this must have been what it was like as he watched his best friend get dragged away by the enemy.

**Please review! They don't have to be long, I'll be happy with just one word! **


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: You know I don't own them! If I did the Doctor and Donna would have had a much happier ending.**

**A/N: Ok I know I lot of these chapters have been mostly filler but I promise that big important things are coming! Especially in Chapter 8 where we get to finally met an Alunae. Just be patient, things will get better.**

Chapter 7

The two guards maneuvered Donna down a long hallway lined with cells in the basement of the main military building, whether they were empty or not, she couldn't tell, but the space was eerily silent except for the trio's footsteps on the tiled floor. The guards stopped at a cell that was roughly half way down the corridor. Forcefully Donna was shoved into it. "Oi! Watch it!"

"Great, yet another cell." Donna sighed. The cell was slightly larger than the makeshift brig at the camp, and far more secure. Three walls made of what Donna assumed was concrete created the prison while a heavy metal door slide out of the first wall to seal her in. A small barred window was cut into it at eye level so she could look into the hall. Once the soldiers locked the door, they marched off in the direction they had come.

Donna heard their footsteps and rushed over to peer through the window. "Hey, wait! You can't just leave me here!" They ignored her pleas. She stayed glued to the window until the echo of their footfalls disappeared.

Certain that the soldiers weren't returning, Donna set about exploring the space. At first glance there appeared to be nothing but her inside. Examining the wall opposite the door she discovered a button that almost blended into the stone wall. Cautiously Donna pressed it. With a loud hiss a long slab of concrete slid out of wall beside her. Donna jumped back startled by the object's sudden appearance. She pressed the button again and the slab began to retreat. Clever, thought Donna.

She wandered around the cell looking for more hidden buttons but found none. Finally giving up the search, Donna summoned the bunk once again. Pulling off her heavy coat, she folding it up and placed it on the slab to make a cushion then took a seat. Suddenly a thought struck her and she began to frantically search her pockets for her mobile. Searching her coat first Donna checked both outside pockets but found they were empty. Maybe the inside pocket? Reaching in, her fingers brushed against the cool metallic case of the phone. "Yes!"

Extracting the object she flipped it open and brought up her contacts list. Scrolling down she selected the Doctor's number. Thank god she had saved it after the Sontaran fiasco. Hopefully the Doctor had his mobile with him. Donna had had to scold him for not carrying it whenever they went exploring.

As she went to press the send button, her hand froze; the memory of their last argument over the device suddenly came rushing back.

"_Doctor, where have you been? And why haven't you returned any of my calls? I've only left you a dozen messages!" Donna demanded, a little short of breath, as she stormed through the TARDIS doors. _

"_Calls? What calls? This phone hasn't rang in, well, ages!" The Doctor gave her a confused look as he pointed to the phone attached to the consol. _

"_On your mobile!" The furrow in his brow deepened. "The one that Martha left you." Donna crossed her arms and glared across the control room at him. For someone so brilliant he could be so thick sometimes. "I have been out looking for you everywhere since you forgot to mention where you were going. You just ran off and left me to explain everything to that bloke!"_

_Suddenly the day's events came back to him. "Oh that guy! No I left you there to distract him. He'd been following me around and I needed to get rid of him." Acting as if that were a satisfactory answer he returned to his work._

_Donna took in what he said and stood there, mouth agape. "You what! I ought'a slap you!" She shouted as she began to march toward him with a purpose. Taking several steps backwards the Doctor began rambling an apology. _

"_I'm sorry Donna, I really am. I should have told you. I didn't mean to worry you. Look! Here's my mobile. I promise to carry have it on me at all times from now on if you don't slap me!" Donna halted her advance on the Time Lord. _

"_Alright, Spaceman. You're forgiven. But you better have that mobile on you every time we walk out those doors you hear?" The Doctor nodded eagerly as he came forward and enveloped her in hug. _

_From the security of his arms Donna couldn't help but to confess the real reason for her outburst, "I'm not upset that you used me as a distraction. I thought you had abandoned me."_

_Still holding her to him, the Doctor bowed his head; his voice was barely above a whisper as he said, "I promise I will never abandon you."_

She was suddenly pulled out of her reverie when something wet landed on the back of her hand. It was a tear. As she dabbed at her eyes to stop more from falling, Donna looked around her confines. What was she so worried for? The Doctor never let her down. He always came for her. And right now she needed to be strong, for him and for herself.

Looking down at her mobile, Donna pressed the send button.

After Donna had been dragged away, General Ivor took the Doctor to another building across the base. There he was placed in an large room which contained shelves of old and broken equipment, technology, and weapons. For a brief second the Doctor felt like a kid in a candy store, and then he remembered why he was there.

"Here you go Doctor, your own work space." The General said as he brought the Doctor further into the room. Already the wheels were turning inside the Time Lord's brilliant mind.

"If there's anything you need-"

"Yeah." He drew the word out as he examined the room closer. "I need all of the astronomical data from the last two hundred years, all background history on this war, and oh yes! My friend, Donna, to be released!"

If General Ivor was surprised by the Doctor's sudden outburst, he hid it well. "I can give all of those things except the last one."

"You said that Donna would be safe if I agreed to help." The Doctor growled through clenched teeth. He had a dangerous look in his eyes that told Ivor to tread carefully.

"Your companion is safe. I only wanted to make sure that you would hold up your end of the bargain, and I couldn't have you being distracted."

The Doctor dropped the Oncoming Storm glare, "What! Distracted? By who?" He looked around the room as if the person mentioned was standing just behind him.

"Oh please Doctor, like I haven't noticed the way you act around that companion of yours. You two can barely take your eyes off each other. She would only distract you from helping stop this war. It was for your own good." Before the Doctor could reply, Ivor exited the room sealing the door behind him.

The Doctor waited briefly before stepping over to the door. It was metal, activated by sensors, and seemed easy enough to open with the sonic screwdriver. Pulling out the handy tool, the Doctor began running it along the seam where door met the wall. To his disappointment, the door did not open.

"Deadlocked!" The Doctor squeaked in disbelief. He was about try again using a different setting when he heard a muffled ringing coming from his coat pocket. Searching frantically, the Doctor finally found his mobile. Flipping it open with a flick of the wrist he heard Donna's voice on the other end.

"Doctor? Are you there? It's Donna."

"Donna! Where are—" Abruptly the call was cut off. "No no no! Oh!" He tried boosting the signal with sonic but it was useless. They had blocked the signal.

The Doctor sank into one of the chairs sitting at the long table at the center of the room. He was pulled from his morose disposition as the holocumpter set into the table top came to life with the information he had requested. At least this would take his mind off of Donna for a while and with a bit of luck one step closer to freedom.

**Don't forget to review!**


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: Finally we met the enemy and find out a little bit more about why the Earth's rotation stopped.**

**Disclaimer: These characters are sadly not mine**

Chapter 8

"Doctor! Can you hear me?" Donna shouted at her mobile. She was answered by static. Donna closed the phone then opened it and tried calling again, still nothing. "Great, I s'pose they've blocked the signal or something."

As Donna sat dejectedly on the bunk, the lights in her cell seemed to dim. At first she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, but when she got up and looked through the window in the door she noticed that the lights in the corridor also seemed darker. Must mean lights out. Well since her first plan failed, maybe she could try her womanly wiles on an unsuspecting guard. She just needed to find one.

"Excuse me! Is there anyone out there?" Donna shouted, trying to get someone's attention. From what she could tell the corridor was empty.

"What d'ya want?" A young male voiced boomed from seemingly nowhere.

Startled, Donna jumped back from the door. The voice had come from within her cell not from the hallway. They must have speakers in here. Donna scanned the room but couldn't see any. Probably hidden in the walls she decided.

"Um. Hello. I um… wanted to know if I could get something to eat. Seeing as it's been hours since I last ate with my friend…the Doctor…"

The voice waited almost two minutes before answering. At last a reply came but it was not at all what Donna expected.

"No."

"What? Oi! Listen here mate—"

"It's lights out. I'm sorry you will have to wait til morning." She thought the voice contained a hint of apprehension.

"This is now way to treat your prisoners! You just wait til I get out of here and then we'll see who's sorry!" Donna raged against the unseen guard.

She was about to go another tirade but a sound from the corridor caught her attention. Coming back over to the door she heard the sound again. It was like a groan, coming from the cell across from hers.

"Hello? Who's there?" She shouted out of alarm. To Donna's surprise a face appeared in the window of the other cell.

"Me. Now pipe down. How's a person supposed to get any sleep with you shoutin' all the time, eh?" The strange man answered with a sneer. Donna began to utter out an apology until she got a good look at his features.

There was something strange about him, something eerily different that stopped her in her tracks. He had a thin face and was as pale as death, even compared to Donna's fair complexion. In the semi darkness, she thought his eyes appeared to be clouded by cataracts, but with a second glance she realized that they were a chilling misty blue, almost like the color of fog. Much like his skin the man's blonde hair looked so faded that it was practically white. He was nothing like any of the other people she had encountered so far. Finally Donna figured it out.

"You're, you're one of them! One of those Alunus people aren't you?" She gasped.

"Alunae you mean. And yes, I am." His tone suddenly became more sinister sounding. "Hmm, interesting, you act like you've never seen one of us before, now how can that be?"

She remembered what the Doctor had said about the Alunae finding out about the TARDIS so telling him that she was a time traveler was out of the question. Donna decided to use their original cover story and told him that she was an off-worlder who had not heard news of the war until her and her friend crash landed here. Whether he believed it or not she couldn't tell.

"You seem to be alone. What happened to your friend, this Doctor I heard you speak of?" The Alunae soldier fixed Donna with an unsettling stare.

She hesitated, not sure how much information to divulge to the enemy. But then again the Luminos were the ones who locked her up, twice in fact, which begs the question- who is the real enemy here?

"They took him. They are trying to force him into helping end this war."

"And this Doctor, what makes him so valuable?" Suddenly the man became more interested in what Donna had to say which made her all the more uncomfortable. She dodged his question by changing the subject.

"When they brought me down here I thought the cells were empty, so why so lively all of a sudden?" She prodded.

"Alunae prefer the dark, since that's what we lived in most of the time. I suppose that makes us nocturnal. And before you ask, yes there are many more down here besides me. Prisoners of war we are!" The man shouted.

Abruptly cheers from the other Alunae rang through the whole prison level causing a shiver to run down Donna's spine. She now understood why the guard on the speaker sounded so hesitant to bring her food. She wouldn't want to come down here when all of the Alunae prisoners were awake either.

A sharp knock on the door jolted the Doctor out of his intense studying. He pulled off his spectacles and ran his hand over his tired face as General Ivor entered. "Have you found anything helpful in those documents Doctor?"

The Doctor massaged the bridge of his nose. "Not exactly. But I have discovered why the Earth has stopped rotating."

"Do tell." Ivor walked around the table and sat across from the Time Lord.

"As you know the relationship between the Sun, the Earth, and the Moon is really quite complex. Now the Earth is subjected to gravitational forces from both the Sun and the Moon. It's always being pulled this was and that. It's like a massive game of tug-of-war! You would think that because the Sun is much larger than the Moon that it would have more impact on the Earth but no, the Moon does. Why? Because of its proximity to the planet…"

"Doctor, could you just get to the point?" The General interjected with an annoyed glare.

Using the holocumpter the Doctor pulled up a three dimensional model to illustrate to the General what he was trying to say. "The Moon's gravitational forces have suddenly become so strong that it has caused the Earth to stop rotating, holding each other in one position. It's slowly been happening over time, taking hundreds of thousands of years to get to this point."

"Very good Doctor. You've managed to discover the same exact information that our astronomers already know about, so how does this help end the war?" Ivor inquired sarcastically.

The Doctor stood and began stretching, "Weelll, I could show this to the Alunae and explain to them that this whole war is just one big misunderstanding, that it's nobody's fault the Moon is stuck in one position."

"Doctor, the Alunae are irrational, there is no reasoning with them now. They are so hell-bent on taking back the Moon that they won't stop until they've killed us all!" Ivor slammed his fist against the table to emphasize his point. This caused the Time Lord's temper to flare and him to turn on the General.

"Now who's being irrational? You are holding Donna, me, and the TARDIS captive in order to force me to help you commit genocide. Is that really reasonable Torvald? You're ideas are no more rational than the Alunae's! Either let me end this my way or release us and end it yours!" By now the enraged Time Lord had marched around the table was leaning precariously close to the General's face. In a soft but menacing growl he added "And believe me, you're not going to want me around if you do it your way."

Ivor was briefly stunned by the Doctor's harsh words. He recovered quickly though and managed to reply, "It's the only sure way to end the war." The Doctor stepped away as Ivor stood from his chair and left the room, but never taking his eyes off him.

Before the General closed the door the Doctor shook his head and added one last remark. "Honestly, you're becoming more like UNIT every minute!" His voice was loaded with incredulity and disdain. Ivor was about to reprimand the alien but saw that he was already back to formulating his plan, so he left the Doctor to his work. As he returned to his own office thought, the Time Lord's words kept replaying in his head. Perhaps the Doctor had a point.

**Ok, you know what to do now! If not, here's a hint: Starts with a "Re" and ends with a "View". Please and as always, Thank you!**


	10. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Sorry not mine, shame innit?**

Chapter 9

Ten minutes after General Ivor left there was another knock on the door. Without waiting for a reply a soldier entered carrying a tray of tea and biscuits. He sat it down next to the Doctor who was busy working out some long, complicated equation. The smell of the fresh tea quickly made him forget about the calculations and he hungrily grabbed at the food beside him.

"Molto Bene! I was beginning to think you people were trying to starve me to death." He said through a mouth full of chocolate biscuit.

"Compliments of the General, sir."

"Oh! Does this mean he's having a change of heart then?" The Doctor asked a slight grin tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"I can't say sir."

"Can't or won't?" The Doctor watched the man over the brim of his mug with an inquisitively raised eyebrow as took another sip.

"If that's all sir, I return to my post." Side-stepping the Doctor's question.

"Actually, there is one thing you can do. Tell General Ivor that I may have found a way to fix this mess but I need access to my ship before I can actually implement. Oh and tell him thanks for the tea!" The Doctor finished, grinning like loon.

The soldier nodded and left to relay the message. After finishing off the last biscuit the Doctor returned to the holocomputer. "Now to find out where they are holding Donna."

It took over an hour for General Ivor to decide on how to deal with the Doctor's request and in that time the Doctor had managed to hack into the military's schematic blueprints for all the buildings on the base and find the prison barracks. He was on the verge of uncovering which cell Donna was in when the door hissed open.

Behind it stood Ivor and a handful of armed guards. He motioned for the Doctor to come with them.

"This must mean you're taking me to my ship." The Doctor rocked back on his heels as he stood in front of the group.

"Yes, but not without supervision. I don't want running off as soon as you're on board." With Ivor in the lead and the four guards surrounding the Doctor they headed for the hangar where the TARDIS was being kept. The Doctor had forgotten just how bright it was outside after being cooped up inside for so long. His eyes took some time adjusting. When they reached the TARDIS, everyone went on high alert, especially after the Doctor broke free of his escort to hug his beloved ship.

"Hello Ol' Girl! Did you miss me?" He affectionately patted the wooden frame as he circled the TARDIS looking for damage she might have sustained during her trip here. Meanwhile the guards took up their posts around the ship and exchanged amused looks as they watched the Time Lord's display of affection.

The Doctor completed his inspection, "Looks to me like they've treated you well enough."

"If you are finished here may we go inside Doctor?" Ivor stepped forward and nodded towards the door. For a moment the Doctor looked surprised to see him, as if in all his excitement, he'd forgotten where he was.

"Oh right! Of course!" He quickly produced the key and unlocked the door. "General." He waved him through the entrance.

Like so many of the Doctor's companions Ivor stood in awe of the sheer enormity of the control room. "I read in the file that it was bigger on the insider but I never imagined this! How does it all fit inside?"

The Time Lord leaned against a coral strut and beamed at the General's astonished expression. "Dimensionally transcendental."

"Amazing." He walked about the room like someone in a dream. Once Ivor recovered it was business as usual though.

"Alright you're in your ship now get to doing whatever it was you needed." The Doctor gave him a mock salute then set about punching in his calculations and using the ship's computer to run a few tests. The General watched with interest as the Doctor raced around the consol tapping this or hitting that. It was complete madness!

Eventually something on the consol gave a loud ding and Ivor was just about knocked off his feet as the Time Lord rushed by to swing the monitor around and see the results.

"Ha! Brilliant! The solution is so simple! Well for me anyways. Without me you'd never be able to— "

"Doctor would you like to fill me in on this plan of yours before you get too carried away?"

"I was just getting to that. Without me you'd never be able to do it!" General Ivor had confusion written all over his grizzled fac, just what was _it_. "We, and when I say we I mean me of course, are going to reposition the Moon!"

The General scoffed at the Doctor. "What, are you going to do? Attach rockets to one side of the Moon and push it back into place?"

It was the Doctor's turn to scoff. "Don't be ridiculous! That would never work! All that would do is make the Moon spin in a circle."

"Then how?"

"With this." The Doctor patted the consol. "The TARDIS has plenty of thrust power and it's not like I'm dragging the Moon across the Solar System, just back where it belongs!" The Doctor was quite pleased with himself but the General was still skeptical of the plan so he turned to leave the ship.

Reading his expression and fearing that Ivor would dismiss his idea altogether the Doctor stepped into his path. "Please, the least you can do is let me try. If I fail then Donna and I will leave and you do this your way." The passion in the Doctor's tone and the plead look in his eyes made it hard for Ivor to refuse him.

"You truly believe this will work?" Before the Doctor could answer, one of the guards ran up to the door and shouted for the General.

"General Ivor, come quick!" Without hesitating both men ran for the exit. As they left the ship both could see that something was wrong.

"Sir, we have a problem. Something's happened. There are reports of an Alunae attack on the east side of the base!"

The Doctor recalled what he had read about the Alunae in the military files, "What? Why would they attack in broad daylight? That's not like them!" As the General gave orders to the guards, the Doctor ran to the wall where the mechanism that released the large hangar door was. He pulled the lever and slipped underneath before it had completely opened.

The first thing the Doctor noticed was that it was no longer a bright sunny day. Looking up at the sky the Doctor discovered the cause of the sudden darkness.

"It's an eclipse."

**Please don't make me beg for reviews!**


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Donna sat in her cell listening to the Alunae prisoners' conversations. So far she had learned that the man in the cell across from hers was named Castor and that he was the ringleader of the prisoners. Every so often Castor would throw a question in her direction, usually about the Doctor. Questions like, why is the Luminos army putting so much faith in one man or what kinds of things is he capable of?

Her only answer was, "The Doctor will find a way to fix this, I promise. And he'll do it without harming anyone unlike what General Ivor wants."

The Alunae laughed at her response, they couldn't see how their problem could be solved without violence. Eventually Donna got tired of their chatting and decided to try to get some sleep; grabbing her coat she bunched it up to form a pillow and laid down. She was slowly drifting off when a thunderous crash shook the building. She suddenly that the Alunae had gone quiet. Donna got up and looked out her cell window. She saw that Castor was looking up at the ceiling.

"What the hell was that?" Donna shrieked. The building trembled again. Castor's icy blue eyes found Donna's. The look he gave her made her skin crawl.

"Our plan has been set in motion. The battle is just beginning."

The sound of footsteps suddenly filled the corridor. Donna prayed that it was the Luminos guards but to her disappointment, it wasn't.

"We've taken control of the prison and are freeing them now." One of the men reported into a com unit. He turned to Donna's cell and unsealed the door. As he opened the cell Donna froze and stared at the Alunae officer in front of her.

"She's not one of ours. What should we do with her?" He directed his query to another officer nearby who poked his head around the corner to study Donna. "Leave her here. The building will soon be destroyed along with this entire base, no need to waste the ammunition."

"Ah!"Her jaw dropped as she let of a squeal of alarm. Donna wasn't sure which sounded worse, being shot or being trapped in an exploding building, probably the latter. She attempted to protest but the men were already walking away.

Before the soldiers could lock Donna in again Castor came forward and stopped them. "Wait, she can be of some use to us."

The Doctor raced back into the hangar and over to the TARDIS. He was about to enter his ship when General Ivor caught hold of his arm.

"Doctor what is going on?"

"There is a solar eclipse happening right now and I think the Alunae are taking advantage of it." He broke free of Ivor's grip and bounded into the consol room. Ivor followed behind seeking more of an explanation.

The Time Lord pulled up the astronomical data on the monitor. "Aahh! How could I have missed this! I'm so thick!" The Doctor exclaimed, tugging at his spiky hair. "And _that_ is no any ordinary eclipse either. It will last three times longer because the Earth and Moon are fixed in one spot. The Alunae are using the eclipse for artificial darkness."

General Ivor also began putting the pieces together, "They have been gaining more ground in the last few weeks. The Alunae must have known the eclipse was coming and were getting into rats!"

Then another thought struck the Doctor. "They were attacking the east side of the base." Dread flashed across both men's faces simultaneously. They both knew exactly what the Alunae were up to.

"The prison."

"And Donna."

Ivor quickly retrieved his com unit from his belt and began barking orders to Captain Striker on the other end. The Doctor began firing up the TARDIS' engines and inputting the coordinates for the prison.

"Your men'll never get there in time General. But we might!" The TARDIS dematerialized from the hangar.

The General hadn't even realized they had moved until the Doctor ran past him and through the doors. They had landed in the corridor a few feet from where Donna's cell. Not sure which one belonged to her, the Doctor tried the nearest one. The door was open, not a good sign he thought as he entered cautiously not knowing what he might find. The cell was poorly lit but as he scanned the cramped space he discovered a dark mass lying on the concrete bunk. Yes, this was definitely Donna's cell. Slowly the Doctor approached the stone slab and picked up Donna's coat.

The Doctor crouched down and gently lifted the coat to his freckled cheek, he could still feel the warmth against his cool skin and a trace of Donna's jasmine perfume still lingered on it. He had just missed her. Again he inhaled her scent, breathing in the familiar smell hoping that it would make him feel better, but only made his hearts ache more.

Ivor entered the cell, "All the prisoners are gone, seems we just missed them. What about your lady friend?"

The Doctor stood with a flourish of fabric as the tails of his trench coat whipped about him. With a haunted look in his deep brown eyes, he informed the General about Donna. "She's gone. They've taken her." The Time Lord had been keeping his temper in check but now it was getting the better of him. "Donna should never've been sent down here! She wasn't one of your prisoners and she was never a threat to you!"

"I thought she would be safe here!" Ivor bellowed in return.

"Yes, because locking Donna up with your enemy just screams safe!" The Doctor retorted sarcastically.

He stormed out of the cell and back into the TARDIS where he gently placed Donna's coat over the safety railing where it hung limply. Ivor came shuffling in after him. "I know." The Doctor lifted his head at the General's words. He realized that Ivor was attempting to apologize.

As he studied the Doctor's tired face from across the room, Ivor saw the Time Lord's true age behind his youthful façade. "I want to help you find Donna." The Doctor could only nod in response as he returned them to the hangar.

Both men stepped out of the police box to find a very anxious looking Captain Striker waiting. He held out a message to Ivor who took and read it aloud.

"Bring the Doctor to the airfield before the eclipse ends or his red-headed lady will pay."

Snatching the note from the General, the Doctor read it several times. "Well what are we waiting for? Allons-y!" He shouted over his shoulder as he sprinted in the direction of the airfield.


	12. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: These characters belong to the BBC, except the ones that I created. **

Chapter 11

Captain Striker took off after the Doctor. Quickly he overtook the Time Lord and laid a hand on the Doctor's chest to impede him. "Wait! You can't just march in there and expect the Alunae to welcome you. This could be a trap. We need a plan."

He didn't want to waste time by planning, the Doctor just wanted to get Donna back, but Striker was right, they needed a plan. He reluctantly replied, "Fine, but we need to hurry. There's not much time left." Together they turned and sprinted back.

As they reached the hangar they could see that troops were beginning to gather as General Ivor stood atop a small platform addressing them. He was already formulating a plan.

"Men, we have a hostage situation on our hands and it must be handled this with care. The Alunae have only one demand and that is they want the Doctor brought to them. Now Captain Striker and I will accompany the Doctor to the meeting but I'm not taking any chances. Our top riflemen will be positioned on the rooftops of the two closest buildings creating a—what the blazes?" Ivor was cut off mid sentence as the Doctor bounded on to the platform.

"Sorry to interrupt General but I just thought I should inform you that one, the Alunae have probably already stationed their own men on the rooftops since it was their idea to meet and two, we really don't have time to launch a full scale operation. The eclipse will be over in about 16 minutes and 37.8 seconds."

Ivor was tempted to argue but decided against it. "Well then Doctor, what do _you_ suggest we do?"

"I'm glad you asked General!" He clapped his hands together then paced to and fro around the tiny stage. "We want to come across as nonthreatening as possible so here's what we do: I go to the meeting, alone." He halted so that he stood face to face with the General.

"Ha! Not happening. I will be escorting you. Nor will we face them without some protection."

The Doctor was getting impatient and there was no use arguing with a man set in his ways. "Fine, we will have to compromise."

"Ten minutes left. You better hope your friend makes it."

Castor circled Donna as she stood with the large group of Alunae soldiers waiting for the Doctor. Castor leered at her again, "Maybe he doesn't care what happens to you. After all he did allow them to lock you up with us." If her hands hadn't been cuffed behind her back she would have slapped the smug grin off of Castor's white face.

"The Doctor will come. He always comes. And I wouldn't be so full of yourself. You don't know what he's capable of, I've seen him defeat monsters far worse than you lot. He'll have a plan, and a brilliant one at that." Castor lost a bit of his swagger when he heard this, causing Donna to brighten at the fact that she took some of the wind out of his sails.

"Listen here, love, if it wasn't for me you'd still be sittin' in that cell about to be blasted to kingdom come. You should be thanking me for trying to reunite you and your friend!" Donna refused to meet his gaze and kept quiet.

He suddenly became distracted from taunting Donna when a small group appeared in the distance. "General Shath! They're coming!"

General Shath, the leader of the Alunae army, stepped out of the small shelter they had built on the airfield. Like most of the Alunae soldiers he was extremely pale from lack of sunlight. Shath was younger than Ivor by about ten years. He was driven, bloodthirsty, and very clever. The attack during the eclipse had been his idea.

Shath nodded to Castor to grab Donna and accompany him to meet the Luminos party. The rest of the soldiers were ordered to stay back.

General Ivor was on point and flanked by Captain Striker and the Doctor as they approached the Alunae army. Before heading off they had reached an agreement. The three of them would meet the enemy while a few of Striker's best men followed behind in case things should take a turn for the worst. The Doctor was against it at first but allowed them to come as long as their blasters stayed holstered during the meeting.

As they marched across the field the Doctor's hearts leapt and relief flooded through him as he caught sight of Donna, her flaming red hair starkly contrasted against the dark sky. It felt like ages since he had last seen her.

The first sight of the Doctor that Donna glimpsed was his blue suit underneath that old overcoat and she couldn't help but smile. As the two parties drew closer Donna noticed how confident the Doctor looked as he ambled his way towards them, his hands thrust deeply in his pockets.

They met in the middle of the airfield, equal distance from their respective reinforcements. The bystanders waited nervously to see which leader would be the first to speak. Tensions mounted as both generals stood sizing each other up, they eyed the other's soldiers in the distance. General Ivor was not oblivious to the fact that at the moment he was outnumbered; half the Alunae army stood ready and waiting in front of him.

"General Torvald Ivor. We meet at last. This must be the Doctor."Shath smirked at the Time Lord. "Funny, you're not at all how I pictured you."

"Let's skip the chit-chat Shath. What do you want with the Doctor?" Ivor asked quickly, he was trying to keep the Doctor from talking, but if he had glanced at the Doctor, he would've noticed that the Doctor was too busy gazing at Donna, visually assessing her for signs of harm.

Shath chuckled. "I wanted to meet the man you are putting some much faith in, and put so much effort into keeping him under your thumb." Castor, who caught Shath's eye, stood beside Donna and began running his fingers through her auburn locks. Donna squirmed uncomfortably under his touch. The Doctor, who had been watching Castor as well, bristled when he saw this.

Observing the Doctor's reaction Shath smiled deviously. "You were right Lieutenant Castor; he does care deeply for his friend."

The Doctor finally stepped forward and broke his unnatural silence. "You brought me here, now what is it you want?" Donna saw that he was just barley containing his anger.

"I heard that you were devising a plan to end the war. Tell me what that plan is and I'll free the woman."

The Doctor nodded causing Striker and Ivor to double take. Ivor grabbed the Doctor's arm pulling him back. In a low but stern undertone he questioned, "Do you realize you risk exposing what you are? Shath would kill for a Time Lord on his side. "

"Yes. But I'll risk it for Donna."He answered in an even tone, his jaw set. Ivor loosened his grip and the Doctor turned back to General Shath. At first Donna couldn't believe that the Time Lord would give up so easily but then she decided it must all be part of his plan. She threw a smug look over her shoulder at Castor, then whispered, "Just you wait, his plan will be brilliant."

Nonchalantly the Doctor stated, "I'm going to reposition the Moon." Donna's jaw dropped, Castor burst into a fit if laughter while Shath stared in disbelief.

"What?" Donna shrieked. "That's it! No techno-babble? No long complicated explanation? You're just gonna move the Moon? What kind of dazzling plan is that Spaceman?"

The Doctor nearly smiled at Donna's indignation, and then he realized that she had insulted his plan and looked hurt.

"What kind of fool do you take me for? This is a joke! You can't move an object of that size!" Shath shouted, like the Doctor had just insulted his intelligence. "Lieutenant, call in the troops, this deal is off. Kill them while you're at it."

As Castor signaled a platoon of Alunae warrioirs, Striker summoned his men. It was an almost laughable sight, a dozen Luminos soldiers coming forth to attack five dozen Alunae; clearly they had underestimated General Shath.

Blaster bolts began whizzing past their heads."Doctor, do something before we all get massacred!" Donna pleaded as she struggled to take cover next to Castor.

"I'm trying Donna!" Without really thinking, he leapt between the two generals hands raised in surrender. "Now wait! Just a tick, just a tiny— let me explain!" General Shath ordered a cease fire, Striker followed suite.

"You have ten seconds Doctor, starting now."

"It'squite simple. I move the Moon back to its original orbit, allowing the Earth's rotation to return to normal, when the Earth's rotation returns to normal, the planet's diurnal and nocturnal cycles returns to normal, and everyone can stop fighting! Hopefully that clears things up. Oh and I've still got three seconds left, maybe I should add more techno-babble?" He opened his mouth but saw Donna giving him a _don't push it_ glare and shut it.

Shath pondered his explanation, slightly stunned at the speed of which the Doctor had relayed all that information. "I'm still not entirely convinced. There has to be more to it than that. How do you plan to do it?"

"Ah, that's easy. I'll be using my ship to reposition it." The Doctor looked pleased with himself.

"And this ship of yours, what makes it so special?" General Ivor sneered at the Alunae commander; he knew exactly what Shath was trying to get at.

"Let's just say his is more advanced than our ships." Ivor growled.

"So it's alien technology is it? That's clever of you Ivor, bringing in an expert to help. I'm impressed." Shath then addressed the Doctor. "Get your ship Doctor and prove that your ridiculous idea will work."

"I can't." Everyone stared incredulously at him.

"What'd ya mean you_ can't_?" Donna roared, here azure eyes flashing.

"Weell," He elongated out the word. "At least not until the eclipse ends. The intense radiation from the Sun's photosphere would interfere with the instruments." There was a unanimous sigh of relief from the Luminos party and Donna.

"Very well, go and ready this amazing ship of yours and reconvene here as soon as the eclipse is over. For now Doctor I will keep, Donna was it? Don't worry, she will not be harmed." With that General Shath ordered his men back.

"Shath, you said she could go free!"The Doctor's voice was laden with malice. "Give her back to me!" He commanded as his entire body began to shake with anger.

Donna struggled in Castor's grip as she cried out, "Let go of me! Doctor!"

"Let her go!" Ivor and Striker attached themselves to the Doctor's arms before he had the chance to go after her. Together they dragged to screaming Time Lord back to the TARDIS to prepare for the next meeting.


	13. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: They belong to the BBC**

Chapter 12

Donna shouted and raged the entire way back to the Alunae camp. She cursed and kicked as Castor tried in vain to control her. Eventually he succeeded in getting her into the shelter that had been erected on the field. General Shath was already inside, he indicated a chair for Donna which Castor steered her towards. A small aluminum table separated Shath and Donna. He waved Castor away after he removed Donna's cuffs.

"Why didn't you release me? The Doctor did exactly as you asked." Donna hissed angrily.

"I didn't release you for the same reason Ivor imprisoned you." Shath smirked.

"Yeah, well this time you better keep your promise or you'll really be in for it." Donna said threateningly.

Shath nodded. "You will be released. But I hardly think that your friend is any threat to me."

Donna almost leapt out of her seat. "You don't know him! I've seen enemies cower in his presence. I've watched him destroy cites and monsters alike. He's brilliant and mad, a dangerous combination for someone in your position." Donna folded her arms over her chest and sat stone faced.

Shath scratched at this chin. "Noted. Now, I'm assuming that before your friend dreamed up this little scheme, General Ivor had one of his own. Do you know anything about?" He leaned over the table, closer to Donna.

"Yeah, he did. How did it phrase it? _I want to wipe the Alunae off the face of the planet._ But what's it matter to you?" She swiveled on her chair so that she was not directly facing him. From the corner of her eye she saw Shath stand and retrieve something. There was a soft clang as he set a metal tray on the table. Donna turned her head to see what it was and found a platter of food sitting in front of her, some of the food looked familiar; some looked like nothing she'd ever seen.

He didn't appear to be bothered by the news. "Just curious." Shath replied coolly as he picked up a piece of, what Donna decided was some type of fruit. Her eyes followed his hand as he popped it into his mouth. In all the excitement she had forgotten how hungry she was. The General noticed her expression and nudged the tray towards her. "You should eat. I'm sure you must be starved."

Donna hastily reached for one of the small sandwiches, but then hesitated before taking a bite. "Wait. I'm not _that_ thick buster! What'd you do to it? Poisoned? Laced with truth serum? Some other kind of drug maybe?" Donna tossed it back on to the table with a disgusted look.

Shath shook his head. "What reason would I have to do anything to you? I told the Doctor that you would not be harmed." Again he pushed the tray forward.

Half way back to the TARDIS the Doctor regained his composure. General Ivor and Captain Striker released their death grips on him and allowed him to walk on his own. As they reached the hangar, the Doctor checked the sky. It was growing lighter. "Roughly three minutes left. You two, with me in the TARDIS. And before you say anything Captain, yes it really is bigger on the inside."

Striker threw him a confused glance but soon discovered what the Doctor was talking about upon entering the Police Box. He gasped and froze in the middle of the ramp, Ivor stood beside him and laughing. "Mindboggling isn't it?"

"No time to dawdle! I have a Moon to move and an infuriated red head to save!" The Doctor yelled. He pulled a lever and the ship dematerialized. Striker was jolted out of his stupor as the TARDIS lurched violently. "Whoops! Sorry! Just a little hiccup. She does that sometimes!"

Donna was examining the different food on the tray when she heard the familiar wheezing of the TARDIS fill the air. Shath jumped from his seat to see where the noise was coming from. Leaving the tent with Donna following behind him, they emerged just in time to watch a large blue box materialize out of thin air.

Shath was rendered speechless. He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him in the growing brightness as three figures filed through the door.

Several Alunae soldiers appeared, all wondering how the box got there. Donna burst through the growing crowd and headed straight for the Doctor. She threw her arms around his neck as he enveloped her in a giant hug. The Doctor lifted her off the ground and spun about, completely overjoyed to be reunited with his best friend.

"Haha! There we go! Safe and sound!" The Doctor said with a wide grin. He gently set her back down. "You alright?" A hint of concern crept into his voice.

"Not bad. Took you long enough. Stop off of for coffee or something? " Donna teased, playfully slapping his arm.

"Yeah, I had to run all the way to Alzoc just to the right kind."Neither of them could stop smiling as they continued their friendly banter. General Ivor interrupted by loudly clearing his throat, "Ahem! Doctor we have a more pressing matter."

His interruption also shook General Ivor from his stunned silence. "What alien technology is this? This is beyond anything we have access to!"

The Doctor disengaged from Donna's grasp and came face to face with Shath. When he spoke, his warm, friendly tone was replaced by one much more serious.

"Time Lord."

"Time Lord? But the only way you could have that kind of technology is—" For a very brief second fear flashed across Shath's face.

"Is if I _were_ a Time Lord? Well then I guess I'm in luck!" The Doctor finished for him, a broad smile appeared on his slim face.

"No, it's not possible! Time Lords are just myths invented by UNIT to spark conspiracies." Shath stammered.

Ivor came forward now. "Come off it Shath. You've read the files. Half the things that UNIT took credit for couldn't have been achieved without the Doctor's help."

"Doctor," Donna patted his arm. "Look." She pointed to the sky. "The eclipse is over."

"Right! Now that that's out of the way, let's get this planet back on track." Pivoting on his heel he headed back to the TARDIS with Donna in tow. Before he opened the door Donna yanked him back by his arm.

In a hushed tone she began, "Doctor, I think that Shath might try to attack again while we are up there." Donna tilted her head upward. The Doctor glanced over his shoulder at the two generals. They stood several paces apart from each other wearing matching scowls.

"I think your right. Best not leave them alone." He admitted while rubbing the back of his neck. He had an idea and he knew Donna wasn't going to like it but it was for her own good. Abruptly he turned back around and announced, "Since we can't trust that either of you won't try to kill each other while we're gone, I'm leaving Donna in charge. And just to warn you, she has my permission (not that she's ever needed it) to slap anyone who even thinks of starting a fight." He looked poignantly at Ivor and Shath.

"What? No! I'm coming with you! You can't do it by yourself, you'll need help. "She folded her arms over her chest, daring him to say otherwise. The Doctor gently placed his on Donna's shoulders and looked her straight in the eye.

"Donna I'm sorry, I really am, but I need you stay here. Someone has to watch them and you're the only one I can trust." Donna stared into the Doctor's face. She had seen this look before; it was the same look he always gave her when he thought something was too dangerous for her.

"What's the danger?" Her voice was calm.

The Doctor tried to play it cool and act as if it were nothing. "I need to be able to fully concentrate on what I'm doing to ensure nothing bad happens," With a sly grin he added, "and I think a back seat driver would only be a distraction." Donna didn't buy it though.

She unfolded her arms and grasped his, "Doctor. Why are you so worried?" Her sapphire eyes bore into him, imploring him to tell the truth.

The Doctor's smile fell from his lips. "The Moon has a tight grip on the Earth. There's a slight chance, a very minute possibility that TARDIS's gravity beam might not hold. If the beam were to break while I'm towing the Moon back, the Moon's not going to lose momentum just because it's stopped being pulled, and if I can't evade it quick enough, then we'll collide and the Moon will gain another crater."He paused to do some calculations, then with a scrunched face said, "But the possibility of that happening is one million to one."

It took a second for all that to sink in before Donna replied. "Stop being so overdramatic Spaceman! If that's all you're worried about I'm coming."

"Maybe I am being overdramatic", he squeezed her shoulders trying to get her to see reason. "But it's just a precaution. Donna please, I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't care about your safety." The Doctor let her go and once again began to enter his ship and once again Donna stopped him.

"Donna—" Before he could scold her she placed a chaste kiss on his cheek. His ears turned a bright pink.

"Just be careful Spaceman." Donna, blushing profusely, spun around to march over and stand between the two generals.

Grinning like an idiot the Doctor vanished into the TARDIS. Again the sound of ancient engines pierced the air, a gust of wind swirled around the blue box just before it faded out of sight.


	14. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: Here is the final chapter! Warning: it gets a bit shippy at the end.**

**Disclaimer: Yes, we all know they're not mine.**

Chapter 13

"When this plan doesn't work Ivor, I'm resuming my attack. If I were you, I would surrender now since we already have control of the majority of base." General Shath commented as soon as the TARDIS had disappeared. "It would seem that the Luminos will be the ones wiped from the face of this planet."

Captain Striker moved to attack Shath but Ivor held him back. "He's trying to instigate us. Let it go."

"Oi! Did you not hear the Doctor say that I was in charge? There will be no wiping people off the face of the planet even if the Doctor's plan fails, which it won't because he knows what he's doing, I hope."

Ivor nodded in agreement. "But UNITS' reports _did_ describe the Doctor as being reckless." He turned to Donna, "Tell me he's not as careless as they thought he was." Donna could only smile sheepishly and avert her gaze in response. On several occasions the Doctor has run head first into a situation without thinking it completely through. She remembered that on the first day they met he admitted to _making it up as he goes along._

"That's not very reassuring."Captain Striker muttered when Donna didn't answer.

"The Doctor has forgotten one very important element." Shath cut in, "Just because he restores the natural balance of the cosmos, doesn't mean he's restored the natural balance of humanity. The Alunae and the Luminos are still going to hate each other for the devastation caused during this war. The fighting will continue." Shath stated mockingly. He's just asking for a slap, Donna thought. She had her hand poised but was distracted by something above them.

"Hey, Mr. Negativity, shut up and look!" Everyone craned their necks to see what Donna was talking about. At first no one could see a difference, but then, very slowly the Moon appeared to be shrinking as it was pulled away from the Earth.

Sparks rained down from all angles inside the TARDIS. Alarm bells clanged deafeningly, warning lights flashed across several control panels casting weird shadows that seemed to dance across the consol. The Doctor, frantic as ever raced around pounding this and twisting that. At one point he was sprawled over two panels with one hand securing a lever, the other holding down some important button, one foot attempting to kick a switch to an upward position, while the other kept him balanced, all so he could pilot the ship and keep the gravity beam around the Moon steady.

His initial attempt to move the Moon was useless for it refused to budge. Pulling in more power from auxiliary reserves, he finally broke the Moon's grip on the planet, but the Doctor's troubles weren't over. His feat was made all the more difficult by the fact that the TARDIS continued to pitch severely no matter how hard the Doctor fought to control it. More than once he found himself thrown to the floor by the force of the bucking ship. "Behave!" He shouted, along with a few choice Galifreyan curses.

Leaping to his feet once again, the Doctor flung himself across the room and grabbed hold of the monitor to check his progress. "Ha! Almost there!" The TARDIS didn't seem to care because the thrashing persisted until they had reached their destination. As the TARDIS passed the Moon's original position the Doctor severed the invisible tow rope, allowing the celestial body to drift peacefully back into its orbit.

"Home sweet home." Wiping away the perspiration covering his forehead with his jacket sleeve, the Doctor smiled as he watched, via the monitor, the Moon gradually return to its true trajectory. Pleased with his work, the Doctor headed back to Earth. There was still one more thing to take care of.

Everyone watched as the Moon disappeared from the bright afternoon sky. For the first time in over a hundred years the Sun sat alone above them. General Ivor and Captain Striker clapped one another on the back and even embraced Donna, who was taken aback by their emotional display.

Some of the Alunae soldiers around them physically relaxed as relief spread through them; others like General Shath remained static, showing no emotion whatsoever. Pulling a small transmitter from his pocket, Shath motioned to the soldiers closest to him, they approached Donna, Ivor, and Striker, taking hold of them and forced them to their knees.

"What's the meaning of this?"Confusion replaced joy on Ivor's lined face as he observed Shath who pulled from his pocket a small transmitter.

"Now that the Earth is returning to normal _we_ will be taking over. A new world order will be established with the Alunae leading the way." He paced in front of them, taunting his captives. "Once you are out of the way it will be simple to rally the masses behind us. We know how much the civilians fear us. All I have to do is press this button and the Luminos headquarters goes up in flames, leaving us to take control of things." Shath held the transmitter up and placed his thumb over the detonator.

"Oooh I don't know about that." The Doctor's condescending voice came floating out of Shath's tent. Throwing aside the canvas flaps he emerged holding a tangle of wires. "Here you go. I think these belong to you. And by the way that detonator is useless now."

Astonished, Donna asked, "How did you know they had planted explosives?"

The Doctor shrugged, "Seemed like the sort of thing Shath would do so I scanned for explosives with the TARDIS then went and disarmed them." He glanced at Shath who was fuming, "You villainous types are so predictable! Just once could you try coming up with something more original?"

Shath discarded the transmitter and pulled out his blaster, he aimed it directly at the Doctor's chest. "No matter, you are still outnumbered and have no way to escape. The only question now, is who do I shoot first? You or General Ivor?"

"Oh! Did I forget to mention? I picked up a few friends on the way back." Placing two fingers between his lips, the Doctor gave a shrill whistle. Within seconds Luminos soldiers appeared out of thin air. Shath and his men watched in horror as they were quickly surrounded.

"B-But where did they all come from?" Shath sputtered.

The Time Lord flashed him a triumphant smile. "My ship has an unbelievable amount of cargo space." He turned his head and winked at Donna and Ivor.

Shath cocked the blaster, keeping it trained on the Doctor's chest. "I'm not giving up that easily. I can still get rid of you." He reminded Donna of a desperate animal who had just been cornered, he had the same wild look in his eyes.

The Doctor held up his hands and took a step forward. "It's over Shath." His voice was calm and quiet as he tried to talk him down. "Put down the gun."

Shath steadied his balance and slowly squeezed the trigger. A high pitched whine followed by a neon blue laser caused the Doctor to wince and Donna to scream. There was a loud thump as someone fell. When Donna, who had instinctively shut her eyes, finally mustered the courage to look, she saw that it was General Shath who was lying limp on the ground.

Realizing that the shot had come from behind him, the Doctor whipped around and spied Ivor holstering his gun. "What have you done? Killing him was not the answer!" The Time Lord shouted angrily.

"I know." Was Ivor's simple reply as he stood from his kneeling posistion.

The Doctor stared incredulously, "Then why did you shoot him?" he demanded.

Ivor took his time brushing dirt from his uniform, keeping his cool as he was being shouted at, "Shath would have killed you without a second thought." He noticed the outraged look that still plagued the Doctor's features, "Don't worry, he's not dead. Just merely stunned is all."Ivor shot him an amused grin and the Doctor's jaw almost came unhinged as it dropped lower than Donna had ever seen.

Having been released by the Alunae guards Ivor had stealthily pulled out his own blaster which was set to stun. When he saw that Shath was not going back down he took the shot. Ivor retrieved a pair of handcuffs and placed them on the unconscious form of the Alunae general. Ivor relished the defeat of his enemy and the fact that he was able to stun the Time Lord into silence.

Once Shath was securely handcuffed he put Captain Striker in charge of him. The other soldiers were busy rounding up Alunae and confiscating their weapons. They were quite happy to surrender after Shath went down, wanting to end this war as much as anyone. Donna watched as Castor put up a fight while being arrested. It took three Luminos guards to hold him down but eventually he was subdued.

"Doctor you really are something!"Ivor exclaimed, causing the Doctor beam brilliantly.

"Don't inflate his ego! It's big enough as it is." Donna warned.

"Oi!" The Doctor objected, pouting like a small child who just had their favorite toy taken away. "I don't know what you're talking about my ego's just fine."

"Still I want to thank you for all you've done. Now that the war is ending and the Moon is back where it belongs, things can start getting back to normal. It wouldn't have been possible without your help." Ivor held out his hand which the Doctor graciously accepted and shook vigorously.

"You're very welcome General! Mind you, it will take some time for the Earth's rotation to resynchronize with Moon but everything will eventually fall back into place." The Doctor replied, resuming his broad smile.

Donna on the other hand was not as gracious, "Well that's all fine and dandy but did you forget that you imprisoned me with ruthless soldiers who then broke out and held me hostage?" Her ginger hair seemed to grow brighter with every word as she temper flared.

Letting go of the Doctor's hand, Ivor turned to face the angry temp. "My sincerest apologies, I regret my actions and hope that you will forgive me." She mulled over his apology for several long seconds before offering her hand which the General politely shook.

"Oh and just so you know Doctor, I plan to reestablish UNIT as soon as I find someone to appoint as head. I hope to restore it to its former glory and improve its relations with you and other nonhuman visitors."

The Doctor and Donna shared a knowing look, "I think we can help with that. While we were imprisoned at the base camp we met a brilliant young man, goes by the name Edwin Ashdyn. He's only a private but I reckon he's due for a promotion. You really should consider him if you want the job done right."

The General nodded, "Consider it done." The Doctor clapped him on the shoulder.

"Well we best be off now. Places to go…"

"…Trouble to find." Donna finished with a cheeky grin.

"Er…Yeah. Something like that." The Doctor admitted awkwardly when Ivor raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Don-na, trouble finds _us_."

"Whatever you say, Sunshine." Donna answered with a laugh; she began walking off to where the TARDIS was parked several meters away. The Doctor had landed it there so he and the soldiers could arrive unnoticed.

Ivor looked between the Doctor and Donna's shrinking form. "Yeah, I should probably…" The Doctor pointed at his companion then took off in pursuit, jogging after her until he finally caught up.

As they walked Donna slid her hand into the Doctor's and a thought suddenly struck her, "Hey, for once we didn't end up running for our lives!"

"Well I have to mix things up occasionally or else our adventures would become too predictable, too mundane." He stated matter-of-factly.

"Yeah? Well maybe next time you could _mix things up_ by not getting us arrested." She laughed at the befuddled expression on his face.

Once inside the TARDIS Donna dropped heavily onto the old jump seat next to the consol, exhausted but pleased to be back in the familiar place. The Doctor pulled the lever that sent them into the safety of the time vortex. He then whirled around and regarded Donna, his burrow furrowed in thought.

"What?" He didn't answer. "What are you lookin' at me like that for?" Donna asked again, starting to get annoyed.

"I was just thinking…If you gave me a `good luck' kiss before I left, why didn't you give me a `welcome back' kiss? Or even an I'm-glad-you're-safe kiss?" The Doctor put on his best sad puppy look.

Donna realized what he was doing and thought two could play at this game. Sliding off the seat, Donna sidled up to him and seductively countered with, "I've got a better question. Were you really going to kiss me in front of all those soldiers on that transport?"

"Well I… they were… and we… I mean" Donna loved watching him squirm. She could have let this go on for awhile but she decided to put him out of his misery. Grabbing him by shoulders, Donna pulled him down to her level and allowed their lips to meet. The Doctor's eyes grew to the size of saucers. Eventually he overcame the shock but by then Donna was already pulling away.

"S-so, where do we go from here?" The Doctor asked slightly out of breath.

Donna grinned, "Oh, I've got a few ideas in mind. But anywhere's fine as long we're together."

**End**

**A/N: Thanks to everyone one who read and reviewed! I hope you enjoyed this story as much I did. This was quite an accomplishment for me b/c it was my first attempt at an adventure story and is the longest story I've written so far. I will say that it didn't turn out quite how I envisioned it would but I'm still really proud of it and I'm glad I could share it with you all! **


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